Get More Than Your Money’s Worth

THE FIRST THING most directors ask upon finding a potential editor is, “What’s your fee?”  Then they check their budget to see how many weeks of editing they can afford.  To really make a great hiring decision in today’s economy, you need to ask a few more questions.

Tip #4: Get More Than Your Money’s Worth

I don’t mean that you should exploit your editor by demanding 10-12 hour days.  In a recent thread in Doculink, editors railed on directors with unreasonable expectations: dozens of DVD’s of various cuts, twenty email responses in a day, and extensive handholding throughout reshoots.  Getting more than your money’s worth really means looking at what your potential hire can offer beyond just editing acumen.  In business parlance, feel confident that your editor is bringing “abundant value” to the table.

So ask your editor about other things they can offer you. Maybe it’s their equipment that they’ll lease at a discount.  Maybe it’s their cutting edge technology or their skill with a special effects software that will save you from having to hire an After Effects designer.  Maybe it’s their address book and contacts.  Do they know someone who can help you with fundraising or distribution?  Can they provide you with an assistant editor?  Do they have contacts at HBO or IFC?  Getting more than your money’s worth is a must in a challenging economy.

Another possibility is to keep your eye open for editors who have consciously generated ideas for giving value to their director/client.  One way I’ve done this, for example, is to provide directors not only with an experienced editor, but also a day’s consultation with an independent, seasoned story consultant.  That way the director doesn’t have to hunt for a story doctor, plus they get several hundred dollars worth of quality professional work at no charge.  Another idea gaining some currency is to give the director guidelines for culling the footage himself, especially if the project contains more than a hundred hours of footage.  If the director or an experienced subeditor can cut down the amount of footage the editor handles, obviously that lowers the bill.

Creative conflicts are fine as long as they don’t deteriorate into personality conflicts.  The most deadly personality clashes will cost you big time, because you will either be stuck with miserable rapport or foot the bill to hire someone else.  Most directors suffer with the former because after investing in an editor to watch hundreds of hours of footage, they can’t afford to hire someone else to start from scratch.  All this can be avoided if you make the right hiring decision.